Project background: Regulation of chemical substances is traditionally based on knowledge of exposure and effects of each substance separately. This requires that one knows how much we humans are exposed to of each compound, as well as the effects of each of compound. For the last twenty years insufficient knowledge about cocktail effects (the effects that can occur when substances are found together) and the absence of reliable tools for risk assessment of chemical mixtures has been a source of concern, both in regards to regulation of chemicals, but also concerning development of products and productions methods. The concern has been that the traditional approach to risk assess one substance at a time does not take into account the effects that can occur when substances are found together (cocktail effects). This concern has led to funding of a 4-year research project, the Cocktail project, supported by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA)Focus cocktail project: The focus of the project is the risk of combinations of endocrine disruptors, and the aim of the project is to provide new practical knowledge on combination effects including effects of each substance and for public exposure to these substances.

The primary objectives are: Specific recommendations for risk assessment of mixtures of substances including: ● 5-year overview of the Danish population's exposure to food chemical contaminants ● Knowledge building on combination effects of chemicals ● Knowledge building in modeling of the combination effects and exposure ● Develop strategy for evaluation of food contact materials ● New potential endocrine disruptors and development of methods to find them ● New technologies to elucidate the effect of chemicals mechanisms such as metabolomics and bioinformaticsThe aim is primarily to develop tools for the assessment of combination effects that can actually be used by the DVFA in the risk assessment of chemicals. Currently, these tools are generally non-existent, even at international level, and must be developed from scratch. This means in a broader perspective, that the goal is to build knowledge, develop methods and establish a strong Danish platform at international level in food chemistry and toxicology, which provides the basis for future preparedness in food chemical safety. The project includes 7 'work packages', each of which focuses on exposure and/or effects and/or risk assessment:● WP 1 and 2 focuses on experimental work with the aim of generating data and knowledge on toxicological effects.● WP 3 aims to develop mathematical models, which can be used as in a practical tool for in risk assessment of combinations/mixtures developed in WP 7

Exposure to food contaminants is included in the experimental plan in WP 4 and 6, and a practical approach for the assessment of new food contact materials will be developed in WP 5. In WP 5 and WP 6 the studies will address toxicological effects of new potential problem substances (e.g. substances in food contact materials and mycotoxins in crops).

Status

Completed

Period

01/05/2011 → 31/12/2014

Financing source

Public research council

Research programme

Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries; The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA)